Breakdown
by georgiatongx
Summary: Last Tango in Halifax - Caroline's marriage breaking down and her starting a relationship with Kate.


Caroline walked through her hallway. Her hips swished from side to side. She turned into the living room where she could see William and Lawrence sitting next to each other. William had his head in a book and Lawrence had his head in a computer game. She smiled at them. Her two beautiful sons. She had everything she ever dreamt of. A husband, two gorgeous children and a brilliantly paid job she loved. Life couldn't get any better for Caroline Elliot.

She waltzed into the kitchen where everything was neatly tidied away. She looked around and sighed. John had left all his paperwork out of the table. She glided over and started to put them all into a pile.

"John, come and tidy your papers away!" John and she used to be in love, deep love. Recently things had just started to slip away slowly. She had no idea why. He spends more time at the University than anywhere else. Idea's raced through Caroline's mind but she dismissed them in an instant. She wouldn't think that of John – the man she had been married to for nearly 20 years, she wouldn't think that.

Underneath the layers of unorganised novella, she could see his Blackberry buzzing uncontrollably.

"John, your phone keeps…" Suddenly, mid-way through her sentence she stopped. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath. She placed her thumb on the touchpad and ran through them. They were from a woman called Judith. Her eye's filled with tears and she went weak at the knees.

"TELL HER JOHN."

"If you don't tell her I will."

"Are you coming round tonight?"

"JOHN, WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING ME?"

Suddenly John waltzed into the kitchen with a smug look on his face. He instantly clocked the fact Caroline was looking through his phone. He rushed over and snatched it straight from her grip.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING THROUGH MY PHONE?" he screamed.

"What have you got to tell me John?" Caroline's voice was surprising calm and quiet. She stared him straight in the eyes and asked him again. The unflappable headmistress mode kicked in. Inside she wanted to take John by the hair and smash his face against the wall. She hoped there would be some explanation for this, but she wasn't optimistic.

"Nothing, nothing! It's just, nothing…" John mumbled, struggling to get his words out in anything that resembled a sentence.

"Who the bloody hell is Judith, tell me now or you can take all your fuu… bloody papers and get out of my house." Caroline had now lost it; she was screaming and crying at the same time. All her raw emotions were out. Why couldn't he just give her a straight answer? Caroline was a clever woman, she knew what the outcome of this would be.

"She's, she's no-one. She's just a friend." John was a bad liar.

"Oh? A friend? AND ARE YOU SHAGGING THIS FRIEND?" Caroline continued to go through his phone, deeper into the lies. The further she got the more her heart got ripped away.

"Can you come round today?" Judith texted.

"The mad bitch isn't letting me out, sorry, I'll see you tomorrow." John replied.

Caroline exploded.

"WHO THE FUCK IS JUDITH?" She couldn't contain it any longer.

"I'm sorry Caroline… I, I, I tried to break it off but she keep hounding me! It was a mistake, I love you please…" Caroline walked round the marble worktops and pushed John to the door. She screamed at him and the boys came out of the living room.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, GET OUT…" The boys stared the chaos that was unfolding in the Elliott family.

"What's going on, Mum?" William questioned.

"Well Will, I'll let your father explain that, he seems to have the answers to everything. So John, will you explain to your sons why you've been screwing someone else or should I? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW YOU FUCKING BASTARD." John grabbed his coat and walked out; Caroline slammed the door and collapsed onto the floor into a heap. She began to sob uncontrollably. William swept himself down onto the floor ton hold his emotionally unstable mother. Lawrence stared into the living room, trying to take in the recent events. The Elliott household was left in ruins.

A few weeks had pasted and Caroline was walking down the hallways. She smiled at the pupils, her pupils. She said good morning to everyone and then she strutted back down the hall into her office. Her magnificent figure moving side to side. Beverly was sitting at her desk. She could guess there wasn't something quite right with Caroline recently but she daren't ask. When Caroline was at school she was a completely different person. She walked into her office, closed the door and sighed. She strolled over to her desk, placed her glasses on her face, picked up her pen and carried on like everything was normal. That was until all her emotions overcame her again. She sat with her head in her hand and started to cry gently but deeply, with meaning.

A knock came to the door. Caroline looked up and Kate McKenzie popped her head around the door.

"Dr Elliott? Is this a bad time?" Kate soft voice sounded concerned.

"Urm no, come in, sorry, please sit down. What's the matter?" Caroline tried her best to cover over her failed marriage and crumbling life with the hard professional stare, but it didn't work. Kate could see she was upset and couldn't ignore it.

"Have you been crying? Oh, please, what's the matter?" Kate stood up and walked around Caroline's desk. Caroline didn't even know this woman. If she wasn't so upset she would have warmed her about overstepping the mark, but she needed a friend and no one ever spoke to her in school. Suddenly a surge of truth overpowered Caroline and she told Kate everything. Every emotion was flooding out of her and into Kate. The conversation ended with Kate and Caroline embraced in a hug in the centre of the office.  
>"Do you fancy coming round to mine for dinner tonight? I think you could use a friend right now and I'm sick of sitting in on my own every night? If you don't want to then that's…"<p>

"I'd love to thank you Kate…" Caroline smiled at Kate, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was a professionally contempt smile.

Kate smiled at Caroline and left the room. Caroline fell down into her office chair to think over what just happened. She had a feeling, like an urge to kiss Kate. She tried to ignore it, but now she was going round there for dinner she didn't know what to do. She was overcome with butterflies and giddiness; like she couldn't remember feeling like this since she was 19, her Oxford days. What was happening to her? Did she love Kate?


End file.
